Mansfield Ave House Damaged During Large Teen Party with Lots of Alcohol

Darien police say that when they arrived after getting a number of reports of a large party of teenagers at a house at 480 Mansfield Ave., they found 25 to 30 youths in the driveway, another 50 to 75 in the back yard and another 10 or so in the house.

That totals 85 to 115 or so partygoers — the largest police count for a teenage party with alcohol in recent years.

Police described the incident with this account (including accusations not proven in court);

Some damage was done to the house, with a hole in the sheetrock ceiling of the living room. Police found hundreds red plastic cups, beer containers and liquor in the driveway, in the back yard, in the basement, in the kitchen and living room and in other rooms in the house, including bedrooms.

The house smelled of alcohol. In the basement, table was set up to play beer pong. In a bedroom, police found a water bong with marijuana residue in it. In the kitchen, the table was covered with empty beer cans and the floor was sticky with spilled beer.

The 10 youths and young adults under the legal drinking age who were found inside the home were held until their parents or an older adult came to get them.

The 17-year-old who invited some friends to have a party at the home while his parents were away told police that uninvited teens came over with alcohol and the party got out of hand — in other words, the kind of thing that’s been happening in Darien and elsewhere for more than 50 years.

The boy had called an adult over to help break up the party, and police spoke to the adult, who arrived before they did. The boy’s mother arrived home at 480 Mansfield Ave. after police showed up. She said she knew her child was going to throw a party, but she believed no alcohol would be consumed.

After police youth officers investigated the matter, on the following Monday, Oct. 31, the youth was charged with providing alcohol to minors and was told to appear at a later date in state Juvenile Court in Stamford.

Longstanding Practice: Life Magazine Article from 1963

According to this article in the July 5, 1963 Life magazine (which includes information gathered in lower Fairfield County), party crashing with alcohol had been happening for years, and the New Canaan police chief at the time was warning parents not to let teenagers drink:

From Life magazine, July 5, 1963 (article starts on page 62; right after an article about the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion in Norwalk)

A Jeep Wrangler recently left by its owner for two days at the Mini of Fairfield County dealership was entered, rummaged through and received some minor damage, police were told. Nothing appears to have been stolen.

To the editor:
We, the presidents of the Youth Asset Team, are writing to address and provide a teen perspective on the Thriving Youth Task Force’s “Our Darien” campaign. For those who are unaware with the Youth Asset Team, we are the student branch of the Thriving Youth Task Force, an initiative of The Community Fund of Darien which represents over fifty local organizations that strive to promote positive assets in young people in order to reduce risky behaviors.

Police, alerted to a party with at least 20 to 30 teenagers on Dickenson Road, found cases of beer and charged the host, who had turned 18 that day, with failure to halt possession of alcohol by a minor. Darien police described the incident with this account (including accusations not proven in court):
A resident of the street called police at 9:17 p.m. to complain of a large party with teenagers.

Serge and Anna Doroshin were each charged by police after officers arrived at a party for teenagers at a Wrenfield Lane home with alcohol and about 60 participants, police said. Darien police described what happened with this account (including accusations not proven in court):
At 9:36 p.m. on Friday, Jan.

Police, alerted to a party with at least 20 to 30 teenagers on Dickenson Road, found cases of beer and charged the host, who had turned 18 that day, with failure to halt possession of alcohol by a minor. Darien police described the incident with this account (including accusations not proven in court):
A resident of the street called police at 9:17 p.m. to complain of a large party with teenagers.